


Bump in the night

by Jalaperilo



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Ghosts, Liberal use of the word fuck, M/M, Spooky, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jalaperilo/pseuds/Jalaperilo
Summary: Duo and Wufei stay the night in one of Quatre's many estates, which is not haunted at all.





	Bump in the night

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written as my gift for the Gundam Wing holiday Gift Exchange 2018 over on thisweekingundamwing.tumblr.com
> 
> This is written for w-chang, who asked for "gen adventure - mysteries, supernatural bullshit and the like". This was a lot of fun to write and I even managed to keep it from getting away from me! I hope the giftee, and you readers, enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 “I dunno why I was expecting anything less when Quatre said that he would do us a favour and put us up for the night,” Duo mused as he stood in the entrance of said blond-haired man's Yemen estate. It was vast and sprawling, with tall white walls, large rounded pillars and red tiles. The grounds were equally huge, and that was just the front. Lord knows what the rear garden would be like.

Really, the Preventers would have foot the bill for a hotel for himself and Wufei, but that would have put them nearer a town, 21 kilometres away, and the weapons drop that an L3 smuggler’s ring had scheduled was further out into the wilds, only 3 kilometres from the estate in fact.

Quatre had told them over the phone that none of his sisters were currently residing there, but there was a groundskeeper that lived on the estate. He had also said that if needed, he would fly some staff out to cater for them. Both of them instantly shot that idea down. They could look after themselves perfectly fine for one night.

Though standing here now, was overwhelming. Duo had spent time with Quatre during the war and had spent time in some of his families homes, but back then they were accompanied by the Maganacs, and the sheer numbers made the places feel smaller. Now it was just him and Wufei in the middle of nowhere.

“Afternoon,” came a voice from behind, and both men jumped, spinning around, Duo positioning himself behind Wufei, which the L5 man would comment on later. They were met by a woman in her late 50s, a dark blue hijab covering her hair and cream tunic and pants. She had a small, amused smile on her lips, as if she had received the exact reaction she was aiming for.

“Are you Master Quatre’s guests?” She asked, looking between them. Duo straightened up put on a winning smile, to hide his embarrassment at being caught off guard. Wufei just cleared his throat.

“Yes we are. Chang Wufei and Duo Maxwell,” Wufei replied gesturing as he introduced them. Duo waved, nodding a ‘s’up’ as he stood beside Wufei, who gave him a long side eye.

“I am Husna. I tend the property in the Winner family’s absence,” the woman introduced herself, inclining her head which the two men reciprocated. “Please follow me.”

She passed them both and proceeded into the property. The men both looked at each other for a moment before following. Wufei considered just how ridiculous it was, to be the only ones in this entire building. Husna took them through the foyer and pointed out reception rooms, and the corridor to the kitchens before leading them up the stairs.

“Man, must be weird to live in this massive place on your own,” Duo said, looking around, leaning over the banister to see the floor below.

“Oh, I do not live here. I have my own quarters in the gardens that suit me better,” Husna replied, turning down a corridor.

“Not even to sleep in the master bed?” Duo said with a smirk, quickening his step to walk beside her. Husna gave him a long side eye.

“No. Though it might be different… if not for the haunting,” she mused. Both Duo and Wufei and stopped where they were.

“I’m sorry, the what?” Wufei asked, scepticism dripping from his voice. Husna stopped and turned, leveling them both with an stare.

“One of the old masters of the Winner family, Master Quatre’s great-grandfather, passed away in this very room to my right, taken from us in a violent passion. His spirit can still be seen late at night and makes itself know,” she continued a few more doors before stopping again.

“Yeah, but ghosts don't exist,” Duo said nonchalantly, which meant that he wasn’t nonchalant all.

“If you say so,” she replied lightly. “You’ll be staying here,” she said as she opened the door. It was a decent size room. Off cream walls and light bedspread, with a canopy above the bed. Really, it was very much like the opulent bedroom Duo had stayed in when hiding out with Quatre all those years ago. That had been shocking to an L2 orphan and salvager. He’d never quite gotten over the shock.

“If you need anything, I’ll be in the grounds for the next hour until sunset. After that you can reach me on internal line 5. All phones have internal lines,” Husna said. They thanked her and let her close the door as she left.

Duo dumped his bag next to the bed and sat on it heavily, leaning back on his arms.

“Ghosts. Fake news, am I right?” he said, chuckling, using the old L2 adage. Wufei, who placed his bag next to Duo’s and moved to the doors of the balcony, opening them wide and looking out on the grounds.

“I suppose. Though, a building as old as this, would harbour some supernatural remnants,” he mused. Duo turned to give him the most disbelieving dirty look he could muster. Wufei turned to throw a smirk at his partner before turning back. Duo laughed and laid down, staring at the canopy above the bed.

“You’re such a dick at times,” he laughed. Wufei returned from the balcony and sat on the opposite side of the bed, leaning over Duo.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from anything that goes bump in the night,” Wufei said.

“That doesn’t sound fun,” Duo replied with a salacious grin. Wufei leaned down and pressed his lips to Duo’s, holding for a moment before pulling back fractionally.

“Remember, no sex on missions,” Duo reminded with a wry grin. Wufei rolled his eyes and sat back. “Hey, that was your rule.”

“I know and I hate it,” Wufei muttered. Duo laughed again and sat up himself.

“Let's go see how well stocked that pantry is, and maybe do some work.”

They made their way down stairs and found the kitchen after a few wrong turns. The kitchen was large and partially industrial, no doubt to cater to such a large family. The first part of it was made to be like any other family kitchen with a breakfast nook and central island. Duo wasted no time in finding the double fridge, which was full, no doubt Quatre overstocking again. He shot off a quick message to Quatre, and received a reply stating that his sister, Humayra, and her family would be there in two days time, so no worry.

Duo and Wufei worked in unison together, making a light evening meal of grilled chicken and salad. Once dinner was made they reviewed the notes on the case and planned how they were going to approach this weapons drop sting.

Before long, they fell into idle chit chat which was suddenly punctuated by a loud crash from the other side of the kitchen, startling the two of them from their seats, Duo had his knife in his hand ready and Wufei was in a stance ready for a fight, chair knocked backwards from the table. On the floor, rolling to a stop on its rim, was a metal mixing bowl that had been on the drying board next to the sink. Wufei dropped out of his stance and leaned against the table, calming his breath.

“Jesus. This place got me so jumpy,” Duo breathed out, laughing at the same time. “This ghost has gotta stop.”

“Yes. I’m sure Quatre’s great-grandad is spending his afterlife knocking items off of counters like a cat,” he said as he went to pick the bowl up and place it into the dishwasher.

“Well, maybe that’s where Quatre got his evil streak from? You never know with these ghost of dead relatives. If I was a ghost, I’d spend my entire day unmatching your socks,” Duo laughed, picking up their plates and scraping them into the bin.

“You don't even match up socks while you’re alive,” Wufei deadpanned as he loaded the dishwasher and set it going.

“Who has time to spend pairing up socks? Or even wear the same-,” Duo’s statement was cut off by the lights suddenly going out, earning a scream from the man. His arm instantly latched onto Wufei’s arm in a vice grip.

“What the fuck man!” He forced out in a shaky breath. Wufei moved his own hand to Duo’s and held it, drawing the man towards him. His own heartbeat was thundering loudly in his ears. Maybe there was something to this story, not that he would ever admit it.

‘It’s just. It’s just the power going out,” he said, surprised that his voice was so steady. He reached for his phone and turned the torch on, and shining it around the kitchen. He untangled himself from Duo as the braided man was retrieving his own phone. He tried the light switch a few times. Nothing.

“Probably the fuses. I bet they're in the basement,” he said. He left the room and made his way back towards the front reception room. One of the doors they had tried earlier as they looked for the kitchen lead to what looked like the basement. Duo followed pretty quickly, keeping close and continually shining his light around as he brought up the rear.

Wufei opened the door and stared into the darkness that the stairs descended into. Duo peered over his shoulder and balked.

“Well that doesn't scream ‘first to die in a horror movie’,” he said, also shining his phones torch into the basement.

“Thankfully there are no serial killers around,” Wufei said, trying the light switch in vain.

“No. Just something that turned the electricity off,” Duo countered. Wufei shook his head and squared his shoulders for a moment before he started down the stairs. He thought he heard Duo let out a small whine before he too started descending the stairs.

Once at the bottom, they shone their lights around to try and find the fuses. The place was pretty empty, save for some furniture that were covered in dust sheets. Wufei began walking around, careful of any trip hazards as he scanned the wall.

“I did not sign up for this shit,” Duo muttered as he also began looking around on the other side of the basement.

“You’re a highly trained agent and an ex-guerrilla soldier. How are you not prepared for this?” Wufei asked as he leaned around some crates. Still nothing.

“I spent the war either in a giant mecha with a scythe, in a prison cell, or with a rifle shooting people I could see in well lit places. I did not ever find myself in the middle of nowhere, in a pitch black basement, with the probably murderous ghost of my friends dead granddad! I’m glad Master O saw fit to train you in this situation, cause G _deffo_ missed that lesson,” Duo ranted, not even looking or shining his torch anymore.

“He did teach me rational thought. Ghosts don’t exist,” Wufei shot back.

“Then what the fuck is happening tonight? You heard the lady, this dude died in a ‘horrible passion’. That’s code for murdered the fuck to death! If that isn’t enough to make a vengeful spirit, then I don’t know what would!” Duo ranted, waving his hands, and subsequently his torch around.

“You’re being irrational.”

“And you’re being too rational!”

After that outburst, neither of them spoke again and they continued to look, until Wufei finally found a metal cabinet where the fuses were kept. He called Duo over as he studied them.

“This place is single phase. No wonder the power went out,” Duo said, handing his phone to Wufei as he lifted up a panel to get to the main switchboard.

“‘Kitchen right side’ looks like it tripped when we used the dishwasher,” he said as he flipped the fuse switch, then the main breaker. Suddenly a light appeared from the top of the stairs, indicating that the lights were back on.

“Let’s go unplug that dishwasher and tidy up, and hopefully get some sleep,” Wufei said as he turned to leave. He had reached the bottom of the stairs, with Duo behind him, before the other man gasped and reached for Wufei’s coat.

“What?” Wufei asked, turning suddenly, ready.

“Something just pulled my braid.”

“What?”

“Something pulled my braid! Just now, it felt like a tug. I fucking swear,” Duo said, gripping Wufei closer.

“Duo, no one else is here. It must have become caught on you clothes or something,” Wufei rationalised, still looking around.

“I’ve had a braid for almost 20 years, I know how it feels to catch in by accident, and I also know what it feels like when someone, someone tugs it, and this was it,” Duo hissed.

“Ok. Ok. Let’s just get upstairs and relax and then we’ll talk about this supposed-,”

“-actual-”

“-hair pulling.”

Once upstairs, the two of them made their way back to the kitchen and unplugged the offending appliance. They unloaded the dishwasher and filled the sink up with warm water. They stood together quietly next to the sink as they washed and dried all of the dishes.

“Fuck. What even is tonight? Wish we’d just camped out in the desert,” Duo muttered as he dried the cutlery.

“Strange places and a few weird happenings are a recipe for overzealous imaginations,” Wufei replied. He could feel himself on edge, but he was reining it in for his partners sake. They both had a habit of feeding into each others moods at times.

“I didn’t imagine the bowl falling off the counter. Or the lights going out, and my braid was definitely tugged,” Duo groused, closing the cutlery drawer more forceful than normal. Wufei didn’t want to argue anymore, so he simply let it be.

“I think a nights sleep and the morning light will help soothing all of our nerves,” Wufei said, holding out his hand. Duo twisted his mouth before taking the hand and squeezing gently.

Once upstairs and in bed, they lay in each others arms, quietly enjoying each others warmth and enjoying the quiet. Wufei had almost fallen asleep when Duo quickly sat up and paused. Wufei was awake instantly and about to ask what his partner was doing, when Duo hushed him. The room became silent except for their shallow breathing. Then suddenly, he heard it. Some kind of shuffling, from the corridor. Duo held his breath, grabbing Wufei, who had his eyes wide. It stopped for a couple of moments, before it happened again, past their door and further down the corridor. Wufei was instantly out of bed and grabbing their guns that were on the nightstand. Duo also leaped out of bed quietly, and grabbed his torch from his trouser pocket before walking over to the door, pressing themselves against the wall next to it. Duo flanked behind Wufei, gun and torch ready but pointed down. The L5 man nodded to Duo before turning back and turning the door handle and opening the door wide. Wufei rolled around the door frame and pointed his gun down the corridor, Duo stepping forward and doing similar in the opposite direction. Nothing was there. No doors were ajar and no sign of anyone. Wufei moved a few feet forward and reached the light switch, turning it on. Nothing, even in the light of the corridor.

“Check the rooms,” Wufei said as he opened the door nearest him and did a quick visual sweep. The two of them cleared all rooms on that corridor, before moving on to the rest of the wing.

After 5 minutes they made their way back to the the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

“Are we going crazy? I feel like I am,” Duo said, looking miserable and sitting on the bed.

“I honestly think these incidents are just random events that we’ve made into a ghost,” Wufei replied gently, sitting next to his boyfriend and putting his arms around him. “I won’t lie, I’m pretty jumpy right now as well, but I honestly believe that there isn’t a malevolent spirit after us.”

Duo sat for a few moments before sighing loudly and rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. “You’re right. Fuck, I’ve got myself so fucking mixed up. Fucking ghosts don’t exist.”

“Yeah. But I guess it wouldn’t hurt if we did the old sleep shifts, just for tonight. I’ll even take first watch?” Wufei said, shuffling back onto the bed, drawing Duo with him. He positioned himself sat up against the headboard.

“Sounds good. Thanks. Glad it was you here,” Duo said settling down, resting his head on Wufei’s lap and settling down. Wufei ran his fingers through his lovers hair as he slowly drifted off, keeping an ear out for any more shuffling and counted down the hours until they could leave this place, swearing he would never takes Quatre’s hospitality again.

 

* ~ *~ *

 

Quatre had laughed, hard, when Duo had called him the next evening. The weapons bust was a success. The insurgents were in local custody and he and Wufei were on their way back to Brussels.

“Husna has been telling that story since before I was born! It was a way of keeping us all in bed after hours,” Quatre managed to say, still giggling.

“But what about the lights going out?” Duo said weakly, looking out of the planes window at the twilight sky.

“That building is centuries old, and so are the electrics. They were put in before the AC calendar started and I don’t think they’ve been updated since,” he replied, muttering that it was probably something he should look into.

“But your great-granddad did die there?”

“Yes, but he went peacefully in his sleep aged 92! Honestly, Husna made all of this up just to mess with people. I’d be upset at her telling this to guest, but she’s the funniest. She also told us that glass crocodiles swam in the pool after dark to stop us sneaking into the pool as well. Duo, it’s honestly a joke,” Quatre continued, his voice turning to that patient, understanding timber that he adopted when trying to appear sympathetic. Duo rubbed his hand over his face. So it was all fake. He looked at Wufei, who was hunched down in his seat, jacket over him like a blanket, sleeping for the first time in 44 hour. He couldn’t wait to tell him about this.

“And I suppose the hair pulling was just my imagination as well,” Duo sighed.

“Hair pulling. Although, we did have a butler that used to pull my sisters pigtails. I think he had an accident falling down the basement stairs when I was a child-.”

Quatre didn’t even have chance to finish his sentence before Duo threw his phone across the shuttle.


End file.
